Method of making golf club grips



20, 1932- s. L. LAWRENCE METHOD OF MAKING GOLF CLUB GRIPS Filed Feb. 17,1931 1 LL] MAJ I71 vewfio 1 ie {M 29% Patented Dec. 20, 1932 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE L. LAWRENCE, F MELROSE, MASSACHUSETTS,ASSIGNOR TO TYLER RUBBER COMPANY, OF ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS METHOD OF MAKING GOLF CLUB GRIPS 7Application filed February 17, 1931. Serial No. "516,330.

My present invention is a novel and improved grip for golf clubs, andincludes an improved process of making the same.

It is customary at present to fit the great majority of golf clubs withhandles or grips of leather strips of predetermined length by windingthem spirally about the top portion of the club shaft. The two ends ofeach strip are then fastened to the shaft by pins or 10 tacks, and bothends further secured by windings of thread or twine. Invariably,however, these windings break, the pins or tacks fall out, and the gripsbegin to unwind, with the result that the grips are continually in needof repair. This unwinding faculty of the present accepted form of golfgrip has been most annoying and bothersome to all golfers, as well asunsatisfactory and expensive.

Heretofore, various types of rubber grips have been devised, some madein strips similar to the leather variety, others as unitary tubesadapted to slide over the end of the shaft. Most of these rubber grips,however, have v been of the novelty variety, such as grips supplied withsmall holes to assure to the user a firmer hold, or grips with one partthicker than the rest, forming ridges to receive more suitably the handsand fingers. Such grips have not been found sufiiciently durable norsatisfactory in use and, therefore, have had no sustained commercialvalue, so that today,

few, if any, rubber grips are being manufactured.

Important objects of my invention, there-' fore, are to produce rubbergrips combining, on the one hand, all the advantageous fea tures of theleather grip, and, on the other, eliminating the objectionable elements;together with a novel and improved method of making the same.

I accomplish these desirable results byextruding a seamless rubber tubeof suitable diameter and thickness, mounting same on a mandrel whilestill in an uncured condition, spirallywinding a cord throughout anyvided with a spiral groove to simulate spirally wound leather strips,and also to aid the player in gripping the club more securely.Preferably, the rubber tube is made ofless interior diameterthan thediameter of the shaft,so that when the tube is forced over the end-ofthe shaft, it is held tightly by the friction thereof, although glue,cement, tacks, windings, or the like may also be employed.

Another object of my invention is to devise a grip that will at alltimes prevent the hands of the user from slipping. Many golfers aretroubled continuously during the warm Weather by the slippery qualitiesinherent in leather grips. The oil in the leather, plus the perspirationof the hands, combine to make a difficult condition to overcome. Also,when playing in the rain, leather grips are useless unless covered withgauze or tape. My rubber grips, however, obviate these difficulties,supplying a gripping surface which,

due to the inherent qualities ofthe rubber, and aided by the spiralgroove, prevent all slipping of the hands regardless of the'playingconditions. This is a most important feature and a great advantage of myrubber Another object of my improved rubber golf grip relates to itssimplicity of structure and to its very low productioncost. By theextruding process, rubber tubing is made most inexpensively and is thenvery easily cut into correct lengths to be mounted on golf shafts.Leather grips, on the other hand, cost considerably more and must be cutinto strips of correct length and width before being wound around theshaft of the club, an operation involving skilled labor and addedexpense.

Referring to the drawing, wherein I show a preferred embodiment of myinvention and the process of making, Fig. 1 is a fragmentarycross-sectional view of the rubber extruding apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a reduced side view of the rubber tube on a mandrel,showingthe cord spirally wound thereon prior to the curing process Fig.3 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a side view of a finished strip of rubber tube with the cordremoved, and

Fig. 5 shows a golf club fitted my improved rubber grip.

In the drawing, 10 designates any ordinary rubber extruding apparatusfilled with uncured plastic rubber 11, and fitted with any usual type ofextruding screw, partly shown at 12. As the screw 12 is turned, therubber 11 is forced out through the narrow circular groove 18, formed bythe end of the screw 12 and the spaced sides of the opening in. theportion 9 of the apparatus 10, thus assuming the form of a rubber tubing15. Thereafter, the tube 15 is mounted on a mandrel 14, said mandrel 14being of suitable diameter proportional to the side of the rubber tube1.5. As shown in Fig. 2, a cord 16 is then spirally wound on the outersurface throughout the length of the uncured tubing 15, the spiralsbeing spaced to simulate the spiral winding of leather grips, and thecord wound with tension or pressure suficient to produce a permanentgroove in the tube. Thereupon the rubber is cured or vulcanized by anyusual process and thereafter the cord 16 is removed and the rubber tube15 dismounted from the mandrel 14, resulting in a seamless rubber tubingfitted with a spiral groove throughout its length, as shown in Fig. 4.This rubber tubing is then out into any suitable predetermined lengthsfor golf grips, one being shown at 18 in Fig. 5 fitted to the shaft 19ofthe golf club 20 and held by friction of the rubber and the wood.

It will thus be seen that I have devised a novel, inexpensive, yetextremely practical rubber grip for golf clubs which closely resembles,in appearance, a leather grip, yet which embodies the advantages ofbeing a unitary tube grip, and also preventing any slipping of thehandsan extremely important factor to all golfers.

I have also devised a method for making my grip which I believe to beentirely novel and, therefore, I wish to claim same herein broadly.

Iclaim:

1. The method of manufacturing rubber golf grips, which comprises thesteps of extruding a seamless rubber tube, mounting said tube in itsuncured condition upon a mandrel, spirally winding a cord throughout thelength of said uncured tube under suiiicient pressure to indent saidcord in said uncured tube, curing said tube, and then removing saidcord.

2. The method of manufacturing rubber golf grips, which comprises thesteps of eX- truding a seamless rubber tube, mounting said tube in itsuncured condition upon a mandrel, spirally winding acord throughout thelength of said uncured tube under sufli- GEORGE L. LAWRENCE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

l mem No 1 ,891; 550. December '20, 1932.

- GEORGE L. LAWRENCE.

M is hereby certified that the name of the assignee in the abovenumbered "patenrwes erroneously written and printed as "Tyler RubberCompany" whereas "said'nnme' should have been written and printed as"Tyer Rubber Company", as "'shbwn' by the records of assignments 'inthis office; and that the said Letters Patent should be readwviththis'correction therein that the same may conform "toi -the reco r'd ofthe casein the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 7th day 'of February, A. D. 1933.

M. J. Moore, "(Se-i1) Acting Commissioner of Patents.

